27 Feb 2018
Emperors and Us on Ice
Antarctica has been both hugely frustrating and exceptionally rewarding this expedition. Unusually heavy ice, lower than expected temperatures and constant storms haven’t made it easy but what we have achieved, experienced and seen have been truly 'off the scale'.
As I write this we are heading north, looking forward to having another go at getting to Cape Adare , we missed it on the way south because of stormy conditions. We spent the best part of a week in McMurdo Sound, because Terra Nova Bay is still blocked by ice. For two days we anchored at Cape Bird sheltering from a storm that brought very cold temperatures and rough seas. Before the storm we managed to get everybody ashore at Cape Evans, from Scott’s Terra Nova expedition. After the storm we explored the ice edge and had an amazing time with a group of Emperor penguins on the fast ice. Watching the penguins it was hard to tell who was the more curious, us or them, but just to be in the presence of those magnificent birds was a privilege and experience that we will remember for a long time.
Later that same day we got everybody ashore for a 30 minute walk to Shackleton’s hut at Cape Royds where we were able to explore the hut built for his 1908/09 expedition. While we were ashore a Katabatic wind picked up again highlighting that we were here on nature's terms, it writes the rules not us. With everybody safely aboard we turned north sailing through extensive areas of refreeze, another reminder that winter was early this year. Despite difficulties with the weather, the highlights of this journey overwhelm any sense of frustration and our Antarctic experiences will stay with us for a long time.
©O. Belonovich
20 Feb 2018
With the best intentions to send regular blog, I have discovered it is now day 10 of this expedition and NO Blog … sorry to our regular readers. As I…READ MORE
14 Feb 2018
It has been a busy few days since the last Antarctic expedition of this season departed on the 8th February from Bluff. We have explored the New Zeal…READ MORE
07 Feb 2018
It is the penultimate day of this expedition, we are cruising to the Port of Bluff and we have a southern ocean swell on our beam, so a little bit o…READ MORE
